DAMASCUS / ISTANBUL 

 Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is scheduled to visit Russia on Wednesday for a series of official meetings, according to information obtained Tuesday by an Anadolu correspondent from sources close to the Syrian government.

This will be his first visit to Russia.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) confirmed the visit and said that Sharaa’s visit aims at reorganizing bilateral relations and strengthening political and economic cooperation.

Sharaa is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin “to discuss regional and international developments of mutual interest, as well as ways to expand cooperation in areas serving the shared interests of both nations,” the agency added, citing the Presidential Media Directorate.

During the visit, Sharaa will also meet with members of the Syrian community in Russia.

In February, Putin spoke with Sharaa by phone, reaffirming Russia’s support for Syria’s unity, sovereignty, and stability, and expressing readiness to review agreements signed with the former Bashar Assad regime while calling for the lifting of economic sanctions on Syria.

The visit comes more than a month after Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak visited Damascus on Sept. 9, where he discussed issues, including energy cooperation and humanitarian assistance, with senior Syrian officials.

Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in late 2024, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long grip on power that began in 1963. A new transitional administration led by Sharaa was formed in January.